Fish-skinning machine



July 12, 1932. L D, BlssET l1,867,133

FISH SKNNING MACHINE Filed April 15, 1931 Patented July 12, 1932 UNITED g STATES PATENT gOFFICE 'Y JOHN DAVID BISSEI', 0F ABERDEEN, SCOTLAND `E1s'I1-simianme MACHINE j Application med April 1931, serial kno. 530,217, and in Great Britain April 1e, 19a-.0." l

This invention relates to an improved fish-v skinning machine of the class'inwhich the fish is carried against a Skinning knife.

The present invention consists in a lish- 5 Skinning machineiof theclass described in which a series'of sharp hooks, teeth or pins are located in a depression in the surface of the carrier to engage the tail of the sh and carry it against the knife.

ning machme comprlsing a fish carrier, means thereon for engagingithe tail of the fish and for carrying it against a Skinning knife, and

a drawing roller which is positioned imme-l the fish carrier and adjusted Ato allow the fish skin to pass between "theknife and the carrier. Immediately. behind the knife is a drawing roller which is rotated'in contact with the sh skin at a greaterfsurface speed than the carrier. A device or means may be provided for withdrawing thehooks or pins from the tail of the sh or for drawing the fish tail off the hooks or pins after vthe fish tail has passed clear of the roller. j v j In one formVof machine according to my invention, the fish carrier moves beneath a stiff or rigid knife reciprocatedvacross the surface of the carrier, and a sliding feed table is provided at the front of the carrier. The fish are placed on the feedtable andare auto- 40 matically delivered by the feed table to the hooks on the carrier. A presser or other device operating above the surface of the carrier is moved downwards automatically at the required moment and presses the fish tail on to the hooks of the carrier, whereupon the presser or like device returns to its'normal position.

Scrapers may be provided for removing l the skins from the carrier after they have passed beneath the drawing roller. The

The invention also consists ina fsh-skin- Themachine as showncomprises .a frame Scrapers may be reciprocated across the' surface of the carrier. n Y

The machine may be belt-driven or provid'- Y dwith its own electric motor or other power rive. f A feature of the present invention is that the tailV of the fish is notv grippedbetween gripping jaws, but Vis caught or hooked by the aforesaid hooks or pins, which takea firm Y hold of the fish and which operate noiselesso ly as compared with'the'operation of `movable gripping'jaws.V Y i Y In order that the invention may be more clearly understood, reference is hereinafter A made to the accompanying drawing, illustrating one form of construction, in which Fig.v 1 is a sectional si'deviewof a fish Skinning machine accordingtothe invention, taken on the line 1-1 of Fig; 2. 'j Fig. 21s aplan view of the machine.

1 carrying bearings 2 whichk supporta rotating shaft 3 on which is fixed a drum 4. The vshaft 3 is'rotated by means of'arwo'rm ywheel 5 mounted on the shaft 3 and'engaged bya 'i5 worm pdrivenby a belt 7 and pulleyvS from an electric motor 9. f l

The drum L Lis kprovided with a depression orY recess l0 in its surface, the recess 10'being n provided with apertures through which project a series of needles. 11 adapted to engage the tail: of the lish. The needles 11 are carried by a memberr12 pivotally mounted on a bracket '13 on the innerperiphery of thedrurn -T j 4, the member '12 having an extension 14; pro- 85 vided with a projection 15 adapted to engage the face 16 of a fixed cam 17 mountedin Va suitable position on the frame 12 When the` projection lengagesv the camlltlie needles y, j are withdrawnjinto theV drum Land thus reir` 90 lease th'eitail of thesh# Y A vco-mp'f'und sliding 'feed' table 18 is pro-` 'videdat thefrontof the drum jthe table j comprising two sliding surfaces 19""and20, f the slidingsurface 19 being adapted to sup- 95 port the tailof thesh, andeztending outwards from theedge. of: the surface '20 ito Wards the drum .4, "and thefsurface 20 supporting the body of thefiishwBoth surfaces" Y 19 and 20 are 'moved -towardsthe drum 'tby 100 n means vof a lever 21 engaging a projection 22 on the slidingsurface 20, the lever being pivloted to brackets l23 on the frame 1 and operated vby a link 24 connected to one arm of a bell crank 25, the other arm of which'engages a cam 26 on the shaft 3. When the surface 19 reaches the drum, it is checked and the 'gio other surface 20 continues until it reaches the drum so that the tail of the fish is projected into the ,recess lO inthe drum. The sur-V Y face 19 is connectedto the Surface20 by means Y 4 of a spring27 which allows the surface 20 to slide towards the drum 4 after the surface 19 has stopped.

A presser 28 pivotal'ly mountedon a brack- 'et29g is moved downwards at the required y gages a cam 32 on the revolving shaft 3.

V 4 so as to draw the skin from under the knife A stiff or rigidknife 33 arranged atV the back of the druml4 is reciprocated across the drum by means of a connecting rod 3 4, one end of which is vconnected to the knife and the otherr'en'd to a crank pin 35 on afcra'nk disc 36 .mounted on the shaftv carrying the worm 6., The knife 33 is reciprocated in guides 37 which'c'an be ladj usted to allow the fishV skin to pass between the drum 4` and the knife. l

Immediately behind the knife 33 is mounted la roller 38 which is driven'by means of v sprocket wheel n39 and chain 4() from a gear wheel 41 on the Shaft a The relier es is driv` en at a greater surface speed than the drum 33, and is adjustablymonted in brackets 42 on the frame 1. A' i Y A scraper 4 3 is provided forremoving the fish skin from the drum 4 after thesrkin has passed Aclear of theroller 38. This scraper 43 may be in the form of a metal blade Vor comb` pivotally hung' at .45 frombrackets on the fra-me 1, the blade or comb43 being pressed against thefdrumV by a rod 44l con? nected tothe lever 21 whichoperates the feedltable.` The rod 44 moves througha bearing 4 6 onthe lever 21 and istted with a springf47 l.to permit movement of the lever 21 and 'to the drum.

press therod'44 yieldin'gly against Y carrier than the other to support the fish tail I and the other supporting the lish body, means fory moving both table surfaces together towards the carrier, and means for checking the tail-carrying surface lwhile motion of the other table surface' continues towards the.V

carrier. 2. In a fish-dressing machine, a rotary drum having a depression in its cylindrical surface, a series of needles movable through the r.wall of saidt depression, ra needle holder pivoted withinV the drum sp`ring meansacting `on saidholder kto normally project the needles, a lever movable with the needle holder, and a cam stationary within the' drum fOr cooperating .with said lever to momentarily retract the needles. I 3. In a fish-dressing machine, a travelling conveyor, tail-engaging members in-the surface of said conveyor, a main reciprocatory feed table, a tail support mounted on said table vand projecting further towards theY conveyor than the table,'means for moving said table towards, the conveyor, resilient meansY interposedbetween the tail support and table to enable thetable to continueits movement towards the conveyor after the tail support'has beenstopped by contact with the conveyor, and means for returning the table.

4. A fish-skinning machinecomprising a rotary drum havinga depression in its'cylinn drical surface, a: series `of needlesmovable through the wallV of said depression, ya needle holder, a. reciprocatory feedtable, a knife transversely mounted over the drum, means for rotating the drum and for reciprocating;

thevknifertransversely across the drum, and Y means for reciprocating the feedrtable and needle holder in htimed Vrelationship to the frotation of the drum.

5 AA fish-Skinning; machine as specified vin claim 4 `having a roller behindy the knife, means for rotating the rollerat a greater surface speed than'the drum and in the opposite direction thereto, a scraper mounted trans- The table surfaces ,1.9 and 2O are'` provided v,With springs or othermeans (not shown)V which Areturn the surfacesto their initialpositionwwhen the fish hasbeen engaged by the f needles. The b'ell-cranks25l and 31 may also ,Y beprovided with springsor other means to keep their ends. in

cams 26 and .32.v

j Claims :V Y

1., In a fishdressing machine, a fish carrier,

' tail-engaging'members located in a. depression infthe surface of saidcarrier, `a com-V pound feed table comprising two slid-able surfaces, oneextending further towards the constant contact with the i versely across thedrum in rear ofthe roller,

umV 

